Is Palmer really only 21st-best QB in NFL?

I have thought of the Raiders’ Carson Palmer as still being in the top-half of NFL starting quarterbacks, but ESPN’s Ron Jaworski made me rethink that this week. The former quarterback and current top-notch quarterback evaluator is ranking the QBs on air (one a day) and has Palmer coming in at No. 21.

Obviously, the big question is how much you are taking into account potential and how much you are focusing on who you want to win you a game this year. That said, I looked over the quarterbacks and have Palmer 17th, ahead of the likes of Andy Dalton, Josh Freeman, Robert Griffin III, Jake Locker, Alex Smith and Colt McCoy. (The first 15 are pretty obvious (*see bottom), with Joe Flacco 15th, and I had Andrew Luck at 16.)

Palmer, 32, showed flashes last season of his old form, and I thought he played as well as a guy could coming off his couch from semi-retirement at mid-season.

Jaworski does like Palmer as well, despite the No. 21 ranking. He said that between 2005 and 2007, Palmer was among the top three quarterbacks in the league.

“Things have certainly changed in the last five years,” Jaworski said. “But one thing remains — Palmer can still make big-time NFL throws.”

Here is the rest of Jaworski on Palmer:

“You have to be willing to pull the trigger on tight-window throws; that kind of aggressive confidence is part of Palmer’s DNA. That’s an attribute that I’ve always liked about Palmer. You can’t be tentative and uncertain in the pocket. You have to turn it loose. Now, we know there’s a fine line between belief and poor judgment, and Palmer at times crosses that line. But the explosive plays don’t come if you don’t throw it.”

“Palmer had the highest interception percentage of any AFC starting quarterback. Overall, he threw 16 picks. Three came in his first game when he was forced to play before he was ready, after missing all of training camp and the season’s first six weeks.”

“I evaluated all of Palmer’s interceptions. As expected, the reasons were many: poor ball location to open receivers, pass rush pressure which led to inaccurate throws, questionable decision making, which just can’t happen in the red zone with a veteran quarterback. Overall, Palmer showed some glimpses of what we saw in the past. He remains a pure pocket passer with the arm talent to make outstanding throws.

“I’m a big Carson Palmer fan, so I am very anxious to see Palmer in 2012. He was erratic and inconsistent with his accuracy and his decision making last season. That must improve or he’ll remain a middle-of-the-pack quarterback.”

* My top 15: Brady, Eli Manning, Brees, Rodgers, Roethlisberger, Newton, Peyton Manning, Stafford, Rivers, Cutler, Vick, Ryan, Romo, Schaub and Flacco. Yeah, I am very high on Newton and Cutler. I had to restrain myself from putting those guys even higher.